Our view: Medical marijuana deadline approaching

By early next year, Connecticut residents suffering from severe medical illnesses will be able to legally purchase and use marijuana to ease their pain.

The state Department of Consumer Protection, which will oversee the licensing of growers, dispensaries and patient eligibility, has worked diligently this past year in adopting policies and procedures to ensure the program is run professionally and with minimal chances of abuse. The aim was to develop the tightest-controlled and best-regulated program in the nation -- and it would appear that state officials succeeded in doing just that.

As of last week, 1,243 Connecticut residents have been certified to use medical marijuana. One hundred and twenty-two doctors have also registered with the state to issue those certifications.

What has yet to be decided is who and how many will be licensed to grow and dispense the drug.

Friday is the deadline applications. Thus far, only one application to dispense medical marijuana has been submitted. It is anticipated, however, that as many as 10 to 20 applications to grow and dispense will be filed by the deadline.

The state plans to only approve three licenses to grow the marijuana initially. That is a reasonable and responsible approach that will enable officials to determine if the demand for medical marijuana is such that more are needed.

The licensing process is laborious, consisting of hundreds of pages that address every aspect of the program from security to workers’ clothing.

And then there’s the cost. There’s a $25,000 nonrefundable application fee, an additional $75,000 one-time licensing fee for those winning approval and a requirement that each company approved create a $2 million escrow account -- and that doesn’t include any of the start up costs to actually grow the marijuana.

Legalizing the use of marijuana for medicinal purposes was a compassionate decision to provide some relief from the pain for those who suffer with debilitating aliments.

It’s been a long process getting to this point, but a journey that was worth taking.